Under cloudy skies, Jason Harward took pole position for GT America Race 1 later today at Road America.
The morning Qualifying session for GT America kicked off the Saturday slate of on-track activities from Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, at 8:00 AM.
The 15-minute session was interrupted briefly when GT4 class championship leader Jason Bell (#2 GMG Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4) went off into the gravel at turn three. Bell will have to start this afternoon’s race from the rear of the field, while trying to protect his twelve-point lead in the championship standings.
The session resumed with six minutes left, enough for drivers to put in one or two flying laps.
At the chequered flag, it was the #88 Zelus Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of Harward that set the quickest time, clocking in with a best lap of 2’09.143 to take his second pole of the season – his first since Race 2 at Sonoma Raceway, earned by setting the fastest lap in Race 1 the day prior.
Jason Daskalos (#27 Daskalos Motorsports Audi R8 LMS Ultra) qualified in second place as he looks to close the lead to SRO3 class points leader George Kurtz (#04 CrowdStrike with Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3). Kurtz had to spend the first six minutes in the pits for overtaking under a red flag in Practice yesterday, and he ended up qualifying third in class.
Scott Smithson (#08 Qelo Capital/DXDT Racing AMG GT3), Andy Pilgrim (#56 SKI Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3), and Mirco Schultis (#70 MISHUmotors Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R) round out the rest of the top six in SRO3 qualifying while David Askew (#63 Usalco/DXDT AMG GT3) and Kyle Washington (#032 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R) did not set a representative lap time.
Bryan Putt also ended a four-month pole drought by putting his #15 BSport Racing Vantage GT4 on pole position in his class.
Similar to Harward, Putt took pole on his final flying lap, clocking in with a time of 2’19.464 for his second pole of the season.
He’ll share the front row of the GT4 group with Adam Adelson (#120 Premier Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR), who qualified just two-tenths of a second behind in second position.
Robb Holland (#99 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) qualified in third, followed by Gray Newell (#25 Heart of Racing Team Vantage GT4) in fourth. Despite carrying a 20kg weight penalty, Seth Lucas (#016 Hattori Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4) still managed fifth ahead of current championship runner-up Ross Chouest (#50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Vantage GT4) in sixth.
CJ Moses (#58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2) qualified 15th out of 26 cars that attempted a run this morning.
After the session, the #71 GMG Racing Cayman RS of Jay Logan was given a penalty for failing to report for a post-race inspection on their data logger, they will start last on the grid in their class, on the last row with Bell.
Matt Forbush and Nick Shanny will be cleared to start despite failing to meet 120 percent of the pole sitters’ pace, ahead of Bell and Logan – while Chris Alliegro will have an enforced pit lane start for his collision with Justin Wetherill in Practice 2 yesterday.
Images © Brian Cleary / SRO Motorsports Group America
